


Wishbone Lake

by Darkravenwrote



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-09-21 05:59:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17038019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darkravenwrote/pseuds/Darkravenwrote
Summary: 'Of all the ponds, in all the world,' Harry thinks, because that is what his life has become: misquoting old muggle movies while avoiding a Draco Malfoy who is encroaching on his territory.





	Wishbone Lake

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Candamira](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Candamira/gifts).



> Happy holidays!!! Wow your wishlist is packed of beautiful prompts! There’s plenty on there I would have loved to write. I hope I have permission to maybe go back to it when I’m feeling in the mood?! I really liked your lake idea. No starcrossed love story I’m afraid, just a short little snippet. The start of something if you will. But I hope you enjoy it all the same. As you might have guessed, I drew a blank on the title though. x
> 
> Written for HDOwlPost 2018 for Candamira

_ Of all the ponds, in all the world _ , Harry thinks as he settles on his normal bench and resolutely does not look across the pond. Because that is what his life has become: misquoting old muggle movies while avoiding a Draco Malfoy who is encroaching on his territory.

The park is technically called Wishbone Lake, but whoever named it -- probably some paperpushing nobody locked in the council's shoddy basement somewhere -- absolutely had delusions of grandeur. It's a pond at best, complete with slime and overgrown water lilies. In summer, at worst, it's a large puddle overrun by frogspawn. But Harry's rather fond of it, no matter what his friends say. The fact that they don't like it makes it the perfect location for his alone time. Which is most of the time these days.

Hermione's far too important around the Ministry to be dawdling in some random park. Even when she comes round for a cup of tea, she's usually reading mail or answering it at the same time as they natter or she rants. Meanwhile, Ron spends most of his time running around after their three beautiful children. There's not much chance of Harry seeing him unless he floos over himself.

And now Draco Malfoy is sitting on the other side of Harry's pond, and he isn't sure what to think of that.

He can't exactly tell him to fuck off. It's a public space after all, and somewhere in the back of his mind Harry was aware Malfoy moved to the general area about a year ago. Seeing him in person is slightly different than being abstractly aware though.

Hermione likes to gossip about Malfoy every now and then. How he has snaked his way up through the ranks giving money left, right, and centre to charity this and charity that. He's built up his name and his new family while his father watches from behind bars and his mother pines for the old ways from her haven in France. He's already divorced with a son who lives on the other side of the country and, if Harry's honest, he looks bloody miserable.

Hermione's last gossip, if he remembers correctly, surmised that he's been stalled, outplayed even by the higher ups in the Ministry. Apparently his latest conquest involves a stable position in the legal department. He even has a sponsor to vouch for his character in the form of his probation and rehabilitation officer, muggleborn Jennifer Upcorn. Hermione remains highly suspicious as to how he's managed to con his way into that. The Ministry isn't having any of it anyway, so Harry thinks it's ironic that it's her who can't get over it when she gave him so much flack in school.

Looking at him now, across Harry's little pond, he sees someone who hates basically everything about their life.

It's that time of year at the end of autumn where everything looks dead and hopeless, but the cold beauty of winter hasn't set in yet. The pond hasn't frozen over and the few ducks pandering for Malfoy's food are half starved. The children's park on the West side is deserted and still, like a ghost town, and the empty swings squeal in the cold wind. Harry feels a bitterness in the air with no sunshine to combat it.

Malfoy, with all his paleness and icy eyes, looks like a child of winter even from this distance. He blends into the colourless landscape of mushy yellows and faded grass. The flush on his cheeks and his heavy grew coat do nothing to warm him aesthetically.

Abruptly, Malfoy slings the rest of whatever food he has into the water. It sends ripples skittering across the water, which Malfoy's eyes follow. Harry knows a second before it happens that he's about the be noticed.

Malfoy stares at him impassively for several seconds. Harry stares back. Under his scarf, he smiles slightly but Malfoy can't see that.

Which is why it is gratifying that Malfoy raises his hand anyway. He makes the first move. He doesn't wave or move his fingers at all, just holds his pale palm aloft for a moment. A truce. It looks vulnerable hanging there in the open air. Pale skin open to the element. Time hangs, on hold. Then Malfoy's bare hand drops back to his lap.

Harry bites his lip beneath the safety of his scarf, before deciding that perhaps his life could do with a little more excitement. What he's about to do doesn't mean anything. If Malfoy is still an absolute tosser they can happily go back to ignoring each other.

Tentatively, because this could be the biggest social fuckup of Harry's post-school life, Harry pulls his scarf down under his chin and lets Malfoy see his slow smile.

"Coffee?" he says aloud, although Malfoy will be more reading his lips. His words are lost to the wind already.

Malfoy stares back down at the ducks. Then, he resolutely stares back at Harry and nods once.

Harry doesn't wait for him to get up before heading for the gate. The pond will be here when he gets back. Whether Malfoy will be or not remains to be seen.


End file.
